If you’re reading this–thank you for stopping by. This will be my first non-week-update post on a topic I feel pretty comfortable writing about: admissions. But first, a little background about why and how I feel okay about writing about this process. No, I unfortunately don’t have a M. Ed, but I did spend about 2.5 years working in higher education admissions. I was a full-time admission counselor at my alma mater for 2 years, and even did some seasonal travel and seasonal reading after my full-time employment ended. I’ve personally read over 2,000 applications, and even more essays. I have an intimate understanding of the nuances of the CommonApp, or in general, CAS systems.
Now, I’m an SPT at a school that was one of my top picks. Just over a year from this time, I was in the same shoes as the thousands currently grinding away at their applications. If you’d like to read more about my personal admissions process, let me know and I’d be happy to write about it. In the meantime, this post is meant to be an introduction into some of my basic thoughts to improving your application–from a former reader standpoint. If you’re currently applying, I hope this can help. In fact, let me know if it does!
1. Reduce Redundancies
I have seen a ton of redundancy in applications. Perhaps it’s different now that most PTCAS applicants have gone through college (or most of it). However, even in advising some of my friends for various graduate programs, I have continued to notice the extent to which they don’t understand what I mean by redundancies. Here’s an example: in a personal statement, why share the intimate details in of a shadowing/observation experience at X clinic when you already had the opportunity to elaborate on it in a resumé , CV or an extracurriculars list. The general rule of thumb is this: if you’ve written about it anywhere else on your application, you probably don’t need to say it again.
Of course there are exceptions. If there is something in your life/experiences you feel needs to be emphasized, by all means, please do! The risk you run with spending too much time on one topic is coming off either one-dimensional, or perhaps as a poor self-advocate. Readers recognize that people are more than just students or athletes. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t take the opportunity to present the best of yourself in all areas of your life.
2. Be Specific
On the contrary, not being specific enough can also hurt your application. Admissions can feel like a huge competition, especially if you’re surrounded by others who are also applying. However, don’t let this translate into cheap, resume building tactics to make sure you have all of the boxes checked. Personally, I would much prefer to see a few, deep commitments which can be elaborated on with detail over a multitude of one-year activities you started in an attempt to appear a stronger applicant. Basically, seek out the things that you love to do, and really do them! Immerse yourself in those things, form opinions, and show off your compassion with detailed examples in your writing.
What I’m trying to say with this second piece of advice is that when you are writing your samples, it’s not just about what you did, it’s about how you got there, and why you decided to persist. Share your story by being vulnerable. No one is expecting you to have been president of every single club you were a part of. If you were, more power to you but you’d better be ready to share the intimate details and make the connections to help readers understand your compassion.
3. Utilize Data
There are a multitude of ways to get yourself more informed about the process. For example, a few months after each cycle, PTCAS releases its Applicant Data Report (link to most recent report). Besides simply being interesting to peruse (ex. 1 student applied to 104 schools last cycle!!!), there is a ton of data that can be relevant to how you think about your application. Notably, there’s been an overall decrease in applications between the most recently completed cycle and the one before it. It means that, on average, most programs saw less applications than they did the year before and this could suggest a shifting approach for some schools in the coming cycle. Also, I think it’s of particular interest to look at age, sex, state of residency, and ethnicity statistics.
And of course, take some time to look at the academic statistics. What are the GPA statistics and how do you stack up? What majors have the most success in getting admitted? If you attended a school with many applicants, how has your college done in terms of admission rates? I could go on and on. Go through it all. See how you fit into this process.
The last part of this is to say that many programs actually offer their own versions of a data report. In the undergraduate realm, we referred to them as ‘class profiles.’ If a program doesn’t have a nicely packaged pdf document in a public-facing website, it may be worth sending an email to ask if they do. Or alternatively, ask via email but be specific about what statistics you’re looking for (app #’s, yield rates, most recent class demographics, etc…).
4. Empathize with the Reader
This is a quick one. A typical graduate-level admissions committee consists of 2-3 primary readers. Have the awareness that each one of these readers is probably reading hundreds of applications. Try to recognize the ‘typical’ physical therapy student and think about ways to save their sanity. A happy reader is something you want. Change it up, keep it quirky, and unabashedly be yourself. Be sincere.
5. Pick Your Editors Wisely
There’s no surprise in saying that essay-writing is an incredibly personal deed. The people who you choose to share your writing with can have an incredibly direct impact on your essays. My advice here is simple. I think most would agree that the more eyes on an essay, the better. However, recall that the original words are yours. Ultimately, it is your choice whether or not you want to make the changes someone suggests. If there’s a change you don’t agree with–that is okay. Simply don’t.
That’s not to say that you should never take the editing suggestions of others, just recognize that the path and flavor of writing can change pretty drastically with even a few edits. I imagine this is a much smaller problem in graduate school admissions, simply because the applicants are a bit older, and hopefully a bit more sure of themselves.
That’s all I’ve got for this post. If you’ve read this far–thank you! Contact me or comment below with any questions.
ASJ
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